| Abstract: |
Ban Lum Khao is a Bronze Age cemetery located on the Khorat plateau in northeast Thailand. One hundred and ten human skeletons were excavated and an investigation of the health of the 59 adult human skeletons is the focus of this paper. Age and sex estimations and a selection of other skeletal and dental health parameters are presented, including stature estimates, evidence of growth disturbances, joint degeneration, trauma and oral health. Results indicate a number of differences between males and females, particulary in joint degeneration, trauma and dental health, differences that may have been influenced by their social environment. A sexual division of labour is postulated as well as the consumption of different diets by males and females. A large variation within the male stature estimates also provides evidence of a subdivision within this sex during childhood, perhaps in relation to diet. These health parameters are also discussed with reference to other prehistoric Thai populations to determine their relative level of health.
|
